She shot him a wry smile. “And you’re telling me you don’t fall into that category? You come across like a guy who wouldn’t mind a bit of clubbing.”
“I might be game for being felt up by a few strangers, but I never like paying over the odds for my drinks.”
She laughed, then leaned in a little closer to him, clinking her glass against his.
“Cheers to that,” she said, before taking a long sip.
Garrant didn’t need to be familiar with what had to be an Earth custom to understand the sentiment.
“Are you looking forwards to the games?” he asked.
“Very much. I like to watch the ones we have on Earth, I imagine Intergalactic games would be even more interesting. Although, I’m a bit confused about how they work.”
“In what way?”
“Well, if your sport were weightlifting, for example, and you were competing against someone like Randar, I can’t see how that would be a fair competition.”
The song changed, this one apparently popular, because there was a big whoop from the Human crowd. Garrant took the opening of the increased volume to lean closer to her. Her perfume tickled at his nose, a floral scent that made her smell delicious.
“Sure there’s a lot of variety in the Intergalactic Community, but there’s also a lot of similarity. It has to do with viable conditions for life, evolution, I don’t really understand it. But basically, if a planet has the right conditions for life to develop, there’s a certain amount of inevitability in how that life turns out. That’s why me, Cael, Ardan, you - we all look pretty similar, despite all being from completely different planets. Physiologically, we’re all pretty similar, too. So if Ardan were to suddenly develop a taste for Hyperdisk, he and I could compete and we’d both have the same sort of chance. Except for the fact that I’m naturally athletic, and Ardan’s natural talents lean more to the… cerebral.”
He shot her his most charming smirk, amused when she shook her head at him. She’d got his measure, then, and from the way she leaned closer, she didn’t mind it at all.
“So you’re a superior athletic specimen within a group of people who have a similar capacity?” she said, eyes flashing with amusement, and maybe, he hoped, a bit of flirtation. “A bit like I couldn’t run the hundred metre sprint in under ten seconds, but some Humans can.”
“Exactly,” Garrant said. “The tricky part is where you get fluctuations. And it’s a big old universe, there are a lot of fluctuations. Differences in gravity, temperature, oxygen, food supply - all these things can change evolution’s path. You get guys like Randar who are much bigger, stronger than most of us. And then there are other species that are much more delicate. They can’t compete together, it would be dangerous, never mind unfair. So they divide us in to tiers. I’m Tier Two, Randar would be Tier One. Tier Three for people on the other end of the scale. Mostly we compete only against our own Tiers, but there are some exceptions. Sometimes a Tier One individual falls into Tier 2 for a certain event - things that require accuracy, rather than speed or strength. Or dancing.” He nodded at the dance floor, where a very mixed crowd of Humans and Intergalactic Community members had now gathered. “Equal opportunities for making an idiot of yourself, whatever Tier you fall in to.”
She laughed again, and this time there was very definitely a heat in her gaze as she looked at him. “You’re terrible.”
“Absolutely,” he said, without hesitation, then leaned closer to her, speaking straight into her ear. “I’d love to show you exactly how terrible I can be.”
Feeling bold, he brushed a finger along the curve of her neck. She was every bit as soft and warm as he had imagined, and he had to fight to keep his touch light, not to give in to the temptation of gripping her, pulling her against him.
“Cael wasn’t wrong to call you an incorrigible flirt,” she said, nibbling on her bottom lip. The stone around her neck started changing colours a little faster, picking up on the increased rate of her breathing.
“You don’t seem to mind,” he said, wanting to give her the chance to tell him otherwise.
“No, it seems I don’t.” She sounded almost surprised. “You’re not my usual type.”
Garrant just grinned at this. “Sounds like you’re suggesting you’ve never met anyone quite like me before.”
“You’re a member of the Intergalactic Community, and I’m from a non-integrated planet. There’s a very good chance I’ve never met anyone quite like you before.”
Garrant’s grin widened. He was enjoying himself far too much. Beautiful, quick witted, and not afraid to shoot him down.
A pang in his gut interrupted his delight. Because the fact that she existed was in itself an exquisite sort of torture. How could there be a woman like Nell out there and her not be perfect for him?
As if her thoughts had taken the same sharp turn, Nell said, “How does it even work? Meeting people in the Intergalactic Community. When the Match test…”
“Doesn’t work for everybody,” he finished. He shrugged a shoulder, his bad shoulder. Not a single peep of pain. “The same way people always met each other before. Go where single people gather, throw out a few conversation starters. Hope one of them hooks someone in.”
“But relationships must be hard, when you know the person you are with isn’t the person meant for you.”
“Definitely,” Garrant said. “But we’re not talking about relationships. Unmatched people like you and me don’t settle down together. We just… enjoy each other’s company for a brief, uncomplicated period of time.”
“Friends with benefits?”
Garrant gave her a questioning look, unfamiliar with the phrase.
“Friends who sleep together,” she clarified.
“Yes.”
He waited, trying to judge her reaction, but her expression remained fixed as she watched him back.
“We’re not even friends,” she said after a moment.
“Do you think we could be?”
“Are you asking about the friends part, or is your mind purely on the benefits part?”
Garrant laughed. “Actually, I was mostly just enjoying your company. Having you as a friend, benefits or no, would make this trip far more tolerable. It’s not often pleasant, going to social events when you feel like a spare part.”
A hint of darkness passed over her face and Garrant got the impression that his words had struck a nerve. Then her expression shifted to cool, amused, that moment of sadness, or anger, or hurt buried and gone and, stars, he knew exactly how she felt. He’d done the same little realignment enough times himself.
“So you’re not just trying to have sex with me?” she said, taking another sip on her drink.
A Garnelian Stardust was more fruit juice than alcohol. Unless her tolerance for alcohol was incredibly low, Garrant doubted she’d be feeling any of its effects yet. There was nothing in her countenance that suggested otherwise, her eyes clear as she fixed them on him.
“Oh, I am trying to have sex with you,” Garrant said, leaning close. “You are the most beautiful woman in this room and, like I said, I’m enjoying your company. If you are amenable to enjoying each other’s company with a lot less clothes on, then I would definitely be interested. If you’re not, rest assured that it will only be my ego, not my heart that’s bruised - and as I’m sure Allendi will tell you, my ego could probably use a bit of bruising.” He stepped back just a little. “That’s the thing about being Unmatched. We both know we aren’t meant for each other in the long run, there’s no getting emotionally involved, no getting hurt. The one small pay off for not having a Match.”
He tried to smile, to make it a joke, but ultimately, there wasn’t anything particularly funny about it. Just sad.
Way to kill the mood.
But Nell seemed to be giving him some consideration. She finished her drink, setting it down on a nearby table, then turned to him.
“I am amenable,” she said.
Garrant couldn’t stop
the broad grin stretching across his face, nor the sudden rush of heat that went straight to his groin. Stars, he would have to do something to cool himself down, or he’d have to stand behind things all evening.
“Then we must arrange a time and place,” he said, then leaned closer than he’d dared to before, speaking right into her ear. “I would like to have sex with you right now. But I get the feeling you’re not the sort of woman who skips out on social events to get pleasured by a stranger.”
Please let her invite him back to her suite tonight, he thought. He could just imagine her spread naked on a bed before him, a feast for the eyes and tongue.
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, bristling slightly, and Garrant felt his hopes vanish. He’d pushed too far, come on too strong, allowed himself to get carried away by the intense attraction he felt for her and now…
She glanced at their friends, all still preoccupied on the dance floor.
“Do you think anyone would notice if we were gone?” she said.
Chapter 7
WHERE THE HELL HAD THAT COME from? Nell thought as he stared at her a moment, eyes wide and full of blazing heat.
She’d never been so bold in her life, never thought she had it in her. But something about the way that Garrant looked at her, the way his eyes lingered on her body like he was imagining what he would do to her if he had a chance, had her feeling wanton and reckless.
And powerful. She’d always wondered why such well crafted, finely honed seduction routines worked, thinking they were completely transparent. And she still stood by that assessment - she’d just never anticipated quite how heady it was to be on the receiving end of such a seduction. Sure, he’d probably done this to a different woman every night he’d been on board the Olympia, but that didn’t matter, because right now his attention was on her. And he wasn’t being forceful, just blunt. He gave her the openings, she decided what to do with them. She dictated where the evening was going, and when she’d realised that, her mouth had spoken for her heart before her brain had a chance to catch up.
Do you think anyone would notice if we were gone?
Clearly he thought the answer to that question was ‘no’, or he was prepared to take the risk, for after a moment, he grabbed her hand and pulled her with him, leading her back out of the arena, but not towards the main entrance, instead turning down one of the side corridors. Nell glanced round, wondering where he was taking her.
They came to a closed door, but Garrant scanned his ID chip against the lock and it opened for him. Some private area for the athletes, she figured. Perfect. It would be empty at this time of night.
As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, Garrant pulled her to him, kissing her. His lips were hot, soft, his kiss demanding. Nell pressed her body to his, running her hands along the planes of his chest, feeling the hard ridges of his muscle beneath her palms. His own hands wandered across her back, scooping her closer, before he buried his fingers in her hair and deepened the kiss. She swept her tongue along his bottom lip, inviting him in, and he responded by plundering her mouth with his tongue. Nell moaned, heat rising between her legs.
Any other day, Nell would have called this too much, too fast, but today, she’d never felt so turned on. She wanted him, wanted him with an intensity she’d never wanted anyone else before.
Was it the risqué nature of the encounter? The knowledge that her friends and family were out on the dance floor, oblivious to the fact that Garrant was here, hips locked against hers, his erection grinding against her clit, making her gasp.
Or was it just Garrant, and all his hard masculine edges and soft honey eyes. The way he kissed her like he’d never wanted to kiss anyone as much as he did her. Falling in to the fantasy of him was so easy, and why not? She was allowed to enjoy herself.
Or maybe it was that little flash of vulnerability that had slipped through. The one small pay off for not having a Match. With that one sentence she didn’t think he’d meant to say, he’d sealed the deal in her mind. Proven he wasn’t just some asshole who used and abused women for his own end. He was just a lonely soul in a Universe full of people who’d found their perfect Matches. If she could make him feel a little less lonely, and feel a little less lonely herself for a time, then that seemed like a pretty good deal to her.
The fact that he kissed like he’d won the Nobel Prize for kissing was just an incredible bonus.
Garrant broke the kiss just long enough to drag her into one of the side rooms. A changing room, she thought, looking at the rows of lockers, the benches. Garrant led her to the back wall, pressing her up against it as he kissed her some more. He dominated her with his body, surrounding her, and Nell loved the feeling of being caged by him, her body responding to that slight edge of danger.
His hand was searching for the slit in her dress, pushing the material aside, revealing her leg. Her exposed flesh shivered at his touch.
“This is my favourite part of this dress,” he said, cupping her calf, the material parting either side of her leg. He ran his hand up to her knee, then down the length of her thigh.
Then he dropped to his knees, replacing his hand with his tongue as he tasted her skin, coming closer and closer to where she wanted, needed him to be.
His fingers sought the edge of her underwear, working it down. Nell stepped out of them, still wearing the heels Tressian had picked out for her. Garrant spread her legs, and the skirt of her dress with them, edging forwards until his breath tickled against the engorged flesh of her sex.
Nell gasped as he ran his tongue through her folds, swirling it around her clit, the pleasure of his touch driving all other thoughts out of her. Her core clenched, needy for an orgasm she hadn’t given herself. God, she’d forgotten how incredibly good it felt to have someone else trying to make you come.
She leaned back against the wall, surrendering herself to the sensations he was creating, moaning as his tongue dipped inside her, before laving her clit once again. One of his hands gripped her thigh, the other he brought up to join his mouth, slipping a finger inside her. She stifled a cry, bracing herself on Garrant’s shoulders as her legs went weak with pleasure.
“Let me hear you,” Garrant said, his voice low, “I want to hear how you feel.”
“Good. So good. I…” She didn’t bite back the cry this time as he pressed a second finger inside her.
He worked her with his fingers and tongue, learning from her moans and cries what pleased her, until he had the perfect combination of licks and touches to drive her body over the edge. Her core spasmed as her orgasm rushed through her, and still he kept going, coaxing every last little bit of pleasure out of her, until she felt limp.
He rose to his feet. She looked up at him, expecting to see that arrogant smirk, but instead finding an affectionate half smile that she glimpsed only for a moment before he bent down and pressed his lips to hers in a sweet kiss.
“I’ve mussed your hair a bit,” he said, brushing his fingers over it.
“Don’t worry about it. I can fix it.”
He twined a lock round his fingers. “Would you take it down for me?”
She nodded, fingers seeking out the pins and removing them. She set them down on the edge of a nearby sink, then fluffed her hair up until it fell naturally about her shoulders.
“Beautiful,” Garrant said, kissing her again.
His erection still strained against his trousers, and Nell reached down, running her fingers along his waistline, searching for the hook or button that would undo them. Garrant’s hands were at the back of her dress, teasing the ties loose and pushing the bodice of her dress down, revealing her breasts. Mikey’s necklace had settled in her cleavage. She pulled it off, setting it down next to her hair pins.
“Not mine,” she said. “I’d hate to break it.”
“You know those things cost nothing, right?” he said, kissing her collarbone.
“I know. It doesn’t matter, though, it’s still beautiful.”
“It
looks beautiful on you,” he said, pulling on her hair just a little. “I really want to be inside you.”
“Yes,” she said, her voice all breath and need, despite her orgasm just minutes ago.
He unhooked his trousers, while Nell unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it off his shoulders. The tattoos that ran up his arms continued up past his shoulders and across his chest, almost all of his skin covered, except the odd spot here and there. His right forearm, a patch on his chest.
“Not quite finished yet?” she said, tracing her fingers over the blank space.
“No,” he said, his voice edged with a delicious roughness.
She lowered her face to his chest, tracing her tongue along one of the tattooed lines. Garrant sucked in a breath, then lifted her in his arms, aligning their hips. She could feel the head of his cock at her entrance and hooked her legs behind him, drawing him closer. He closed his eyes, seeming to teeter on the edge of control, before giving in to his urges and thrusting himself into her.
Nell clung to him as he pumped his hips into hers, his movements sending wave after wave of pleasure through her. He wasn’t gentle, tugging at her hair, kneading her breasts, and Nell loved it. Loved that he wanted her body this way, that he responded to her with such untamed desire. He drew her face to his, and in the moment before he kissed her, he looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“Harder,” she moaned into his mouth, wanting to see him lose the last edge of his control.
He obliged, pounding into her as he ravished her mouth with his. Her body took everything he had to give her, quivering with pleasure in response to every thrust, until she tipped her head back, her second orgasm of the night ripping through her twice as intense as the first. As her core spasmed around him, Garrant gave a final few thrusts, reaching his own climax just behind her.
They used the facilities to clean themselves up. Nell straightened her dress out, put her panties back on, glad that she’d included a little bottle of perfume in her bag. She sprayed it to her neck and wrists, then did a couple of sprays in the air, walking through the cloud of droplets so they would cover her, and hopefully disguise the smell of sweat and sex. She ran her fingers through her hair, taming it some, then twisted it in her hands, pinning it up so it looked almost exactly as it had before. Garrant walked up behind her and did her dress back up, sneaking a kiss against the back of her neck as he did so, her sensitised flesh shivering at the touch.
Garrant Page 6
